Apparatus for forming coated frozen confections



Aug. 31, 1943.

F. SPORTOLARI h APPARATUS FOR FORMING COATED FROZEN CONFECTIONS z W 5 J l I a U D t 4 H RX H m m P M Q. o T N 0 m. wk w n 0;: m n A z a l. r Em 7 Fm .1 u A M 1 2 0X 1 5 0 M M M w 0%HF E Aug. 31, 1943. F. SPORTOLARI APPARATUS FOR FORMING COATED FROZEN CONFEGTIONS 2 Sheets -Sheet 2 Original Filed May 6, 1941 INVENTOR Fgt nk Sportolari BY 92 1 Y ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 31, 1943 APPARATUS FOR FORMING COATED FROZEN CONFECTIONS Frank Sportolari, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Original application May 6, 1941, Serial No. 392,083. Divided and this application May 8,

1942, Serial No. 442,161

Claims,

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for making frozen confections, and more particularly for filling and coating edible ice cream cones.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved handling device used in making a plurality of chocolate coated cones simultaneously in an expedient and economical manner, and with complete sanitation, as it eliminates the need for handling the individual cones.

A further and more specific object of the invention is the provision of improved apparatus for handling the cones for dipping and coating operations.

Frozen confections of the type herein referred to have heretofore been produced by handling each cone individually. By the hand method the cone was filled with the substance to be frozen and charged in racks which were placed in a freezing room. After freezing they were partially dipped in a coating solution and then rolled in grated nuts or the like. Because of the time lost in handling the cones to fill them and transfer them to a freezing chamber, it was necessary to coat the inside and outside of the cone with a chocolate coating containing a fatty substance to render the cone moisture repellant, to prevent its becoming sog y after the substance to be frozen is placed therein. Such pre-coating is not necessary when the device of the present invention is used in carrying out the hereinafter disclosed method because of the rapidity of filling, freezing and transferring the filledcones.

The invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereof, in which like reference characters designate like parts, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partially in cross section, of the rack or impaler of the present invention placed on a suitable confection mold, with parts broken away to illustrate the operations thereof;

,Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the handling device showing the impalers in retracted positions;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the impaling device shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view, taken substantially on line 4-4-01 Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view show- .ing the handles and actuating mechanism of the impaler or confection handling device.

Open ended containers 1, such as ice cream bars I5, so

cones made of an edible frangible material and filled with a suitable comestible substance, indicated by the numeral 8, such as a plasti ice cream mix or the like, are subjected to a low temperature to chill the container and solidify or freeze the substance. After the filled cones are suitably frozen in mold M, they are removed by means of a gripper rack or impaler A which comprises a body portion or member composed of a plurality of flat bars I!) disposed in parallel relation and secured together by attachment to the crosspieces of U-shaped brackets H. In the construction shown in the drawings, three of the bars Ill are employed and are held in place by a pair of the brackets l I, which are spaced apart and located near the ends of the bars I0.

The body of the impaler is provided with suitable support means or chairs l2, which extend in an outward direction from the ends of the bars I0, so that the impaler may be supported at its ends in the pan I of the mold M and will overlie the individual molds 5. The supports l2 also act as guides for the ends of the impaler as it is being moved into and out of the pan I of the mold. Additional supports for the body of the impaler are provided by handle members l3, the ends of which extend outwardly from the sides of the body in substantially the same plane as the supports [2, and act as guides for the sides of the body as well as supports therefor. The intermediate portions of the members i3 extend upwardly above the bars I 0 of the body to provide handles for the impaler.

Above the body of the impaler A is provided suitable means for carrying the impaling elements which, in the construction shown in the drawings, comprises three fiat bars l4, similar to the bars [0, and disposed in superposed relation to the bars 10. The bars [4 are secured to crossthat the bars l4 move and act as aunit. a l

The carrying means for the impaling elements is connected for vertical movement toward and away from the body of the impaler through toggle mechanisms, two of which are at each side of the impaler, and are indicated generally by the numeral I6. These toggle mechanisms include toggle links I! which are pivotally connected to each other, the lower end of each toggle being connected to a bracket l8 carried by the ends of two of the crossbars I5 of the means carrying the impaling elements, and the upper end of each toggle being connected to the upwardly extending free ends of the U-shaped from the toggle connected on the inside to the inside of the toggle across from the toggle con nected at its outside.

at each end of the impaler and providea means to actuate the toggles and move the impaling elements toward and from the impaler body.

Handles 20 extend trans-. versely across from the two toggle mechanisms- .imp aling wires 2 the mold pan I, all of the frozen units will be simultaneously removed from their molds. To facilitate the removal of the cones, the mold may be dipped in warm Water for an instant, causing defrosting of the walls of the mold permitting the removal ofthe cones therefrom.

When the impaler A is lifted out of the mold with the frozen cones suspended from the wires 2!, it is placed over a suitable holder g individual sockets to receive the cones the gripper rack A is then removed or rel used by actuating the toggle handles 26 to wit draw the i from the frozen con-ections.

It is evident from the foregoing description of thisinvention that the apparatus disclosed pro- 1 video an economical and sanitary means of mak- At spaced locations along the bars Hl, suitable-1 impaling elements 21 are secured, which in the present instance are formed wires mounted in apertures in the bars l4 and having two free ends depending'irom the bars and crossing each other at a shortrlistance beneath the bars. 'These' crossed wires extend downwardly to the bars iii and are received in suitable guide slots 22 "provided inf'the bars [9. The guide slots 22 are flared in an outwarddirection sothat as the bars I4 and the impaling wires 2i are moved toward the bars Hi, the ends of the wires N are directed downwardly and outwardly to impale the solidified comestible substance 8 at the-open'end ofthe cones "I, and grippingly engage the confectionsto lift them from the molds 5.

Figs. 2 and 4 show the impaler A with the wires 2! withdrawn to their normal or inoperative position. Fig. 1 illustrates the rack or impaler with the handles pulled outwardly and downwardly to actuate the toggles and extend the points of the impaling elements '2 l, causing them to grippingly engage confections. By simply raising the rack A by the handles [3, the confections I may be simultaneously removed from their molds.

When the confections are removed from the mold M by the impaler A and transferred to a holder, such as the holder H shown in my application hereinafter identified, the handles 20 of the impaler A may be moved upwardly and toward eachother to retract the impaling wires 2! from the confections and the impaler A is free to be used in removing the next group of confectionafrom their mold M.

substance, are dropped in the molds 5 and the substance 8 to be frozen is-then poured into the individual cones The mold M is then subjected to rapid refrigeration-by standing the mold in a brine solution or by placing it in a refrigerated compartment. The frozen cones are then removed from'their molds 'by gripping the stationary handles 53 and placing the impaler A in the bottom of the mold pan I, as shown in Fig. '1, withthetoggle handles'zil in their raised 'po'sition,-as shown in Fig. 2. In this position the impaling elements 21- are retracted and aredis- "posed above the contents of the molds '5. 'By depressing the toggle handles 253, the 'impalin'g wires are moved downwardly and outwardly, while they'move into the frozen substance 8 with which the cones are filled. By again gripping the handles 13 and lifting the impaler A out of the frozen confection.

tions.

ing frozen ice cream cone confections without the need' of handling with unsanitary utensils and in unsanitary surroundings, and without the hands of a'person coming in contact with any part 01" By the herein described method ofsimultana ousiy handlin a large number of cones and by the rapid freezing of the fillingsubst'ance, it is not necessary to coat the inside and outside'of this step,,however, effects a; substantial saving both in the use of materials andin the additional time needed for the dipping'and handling op erations. i j Ihis application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 392,083, filed :May -6, 194-1, for Method for forming coated frozen-confec- While the above apparatushasbeen;described inconnection with a-certain ;type of confection, it may be seen that slight variations in theappae ratus may be made'to handle other similar confections without departing from the spirit of the present invention. 7 7 v v --Although one'embodiment of theinvention has been-herein illustrated and described, it will be evident to those skilled. in the art that modifica tions maybe made in the details of construction or in thesteps of the method without departing from the principles herein set forth. I

What I claim is: p

v 1. Apparatus for handling confections which comprises a relatively flat-member, means .di sposed above said member for =carrying a plural ity :of impale-rs in spaced relation, ,-activating means includinga togglemechlanism carried by said memberto causewmovement of said carrying means toward and from said member, a plurality of impalers mounted on said' carrying means, andguide means carried by said member to receive the impalers and'upon'inovemeritof the activating means in one direction to cause divergence of the impalers tof'grippin'gly en age confections, and upon movement of said activating means in the.oppositedirection'ito release the confections. v

2. Apparatus for handling confections which comprises a relatively flat member, a wire carrying member disposed 'above'the fiat member, a

plurality of spaced guides in the flat member, a plurality of wires secured to the wire carrying member, spaced supports carried by the fiat member, means mounted on said supportsfor causing vertical movement cf-said wire carrying member bodily "and uniformly -relati-veto said flat member, said'guides being flared for receiving the ends of the wiresso that upon-movement of the wire car-rying member the wires-are guided downwardly and flared outwardly to grippingly engage confections and upon return movement of the wire carrying member the confections are released.

3. Apparatus for handling confections which comprises a body member having supports therefor extending outwardly from spaced locations about the periphery of the body, impalers disposed above said body, said impalers including a plurality of depending impaling elements, actuating mechanism for said impalers carried by said body and adapted to move said impalers with respect to said body, and guide means carried by said body to receive said impaling elements, said guide means including portions flared in the direction of movement of the impalers, so that upon movement of the impalers toward the body the impaling elements diverge to grippingly engage a confection and upon movement of the impalers away from the body the impaling elements converge to release the confection.

4. Apparatus for handling confections which comprises a body member having supporting means extending outwardly therefrom at spaced locations about the periphery of the body, a plurality of impalers disposed above said body, each of said impalers including a plurality of impaling elements, a manually actuatable means including a toggle mechanism carried by said body and adapted to move said impalers with respect to the body, and guide means carried by the body to receive impaling elements, said guide means including flared portions so that upon movement of the impalers toward the body the impaling elements diverge to grippingly engage confections and upon movement of the impalers away from the body of the impaling elements converge to release the confections.

5. A manually actuated gripping and transfer device for handling frozen confections to simultaneously lift a plurality of frozen cones from the forming mold, comprising a plurality of horizontally disposed bars in parallel and superposed relation, some of the lower bars being provided with seating chairs, a plurality of supporting brackets attached to the bottom bars, a toggle mechanism attached to the upper bars and pivoted to the supporting brackets, handle members on said toggle mechanism for actuating the toggle to subject the upper bars to vertical movement relative to the lower bars, said handle members constituting grips for handling the mechanism, said lower bars having wire guides and said upper bars having wires attached thereto, the guides in the lower bars being flared for receiving the ends of the wires of the upper bars so that upon movement of the upper bars the wires are forced downward and flared outwardly to grippingly engage the frozen confections, and upon return movement to automatically release the said confection.

FRANK SPORTOLARI. 

